Maritz joins EMC, to battle Microsoft in the cloud — Microsoft's cloud computing efforts have a formidable and familiar new competitor. — Paul Maritz, the former Microsoft platform boss, is becoming president of EMC's cloud computing initiative, which competes directly with Microsoft.

See Change — I have always been a fan of Tim O'Reilly's phrase the “architecture of participation” to describe “systems designed for user contribution.” I liked it so much that at last year's OSCON I made this concept the focal point of a discussion about how Microsoft's products, programs …

A Method for Critical Data Theft — SAN FRANCISCO — A group led by a Princeton University computer security researcher has developed a simple method to steal encrypted information stored on computer hard disks. — The technique, which could undermine security software protecting critical data …

TechCrunch, Peaking, Etc. — A lot of people write a lot of stuff that's pretty negative about TechCrunch. Since I don't actually do an ego monitor, we miss most of it. But every once in a while something bubbles up and I see it. Usually I don't respond because it just encourages more of the same.

Why Google Apps is a Serious Threat to Microsoft Office — This is the perspective of a “skeptical, later early adopter”; the sort of person who Microsoft needs to retain and should have been able to retain easily. I don't spend time on productivity tools that may at some date make me more productive …

TUAW Responds: iPhone LoJack — Way back, one of our readers begged for an iPhone LoJack solution. He wanted his iPhone to “call home” regularly in case of loss or, let's be more realistic, theft. Over the past week, I finally had a chance to give this request some time, and I put together findme.

Microsoft Fishes in Silicon Valley For New Yahoo Board Members — According to a source with knowledge of the situation, as part of the preparation for a possible proxy fight it is preparing to wage against Yahoo, Microsoft has been angling in Silicon Valley for prominent techies to serve on a board it must nominate.

Experts hammer Web 2.0 security — Even as social networking darling Facebook prepares a version of its online networking application aimed specifically at enterprise users, legions of security experts are getting behind the idea that the sites represent a serious threat to businesses and other organizations.

Microsoft Pledges Fail to Move the EU — The software giant's new claims of interoperability haven't impressed the European lawmakers who ultimately will also weigh in on a possible Yahoo takeover — European regulators issued a swift verdict on Microsoft's latest attempt to show it plays well with others: We've heard it all before.

More on campus attitudes — Jonathan Lamy, a spokesman for the RIAA, responded to my previous post with a chart showing a sharp decline in the number of infringement notices sent to college campuses that had been piracy hotbeds in 2006-07. Contrary to the highly unscientific sample I cited …

Quebec police bust alleged hacker ring — 17 raids nabbed suspects in a dozen towns across Quebec — MONTREAL — Quebec provincial police said Wednesday they have dismantled what they called the largest and most damaging computer-hacking network ever uncovered in Canada.

‘Optimus Maximus’ keyboard finally shipping — We're almost reluctant to post this because it's been promised (and not delivered) for so long. But, with our luck, the Optimus Maximus OLED keyboard will come out on schedule, and we'll be lambasted for not having passed along the news.